Violence against women is a worldwide epidemic. It may take
different forms depending on history, culture, background, and experiences, but
it causes great suffering for women, their families, and the communities in
which they live. Despite its high prevalence, no previous studies that have
been conducted in Arar, northern area of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA),
addressing this issue could be traced.
The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence and
determinants of violence experienced by ever-married women attending primary
health centers in Arar city, Northern Border, KSA.
This study is a cross-sectional study conducted during the
period from January to June 2014 in Arar city in the Northern Province of the
KSA. Data were collected through an interviewer-administered questionnaire. A
total of 208 wives (184 currently married, 16 divorced, and eight widowed)
attending five randomly selected primary healthcare centers in Arar, KSA, were
interviewed. Collected data provided information on both physical and emotional
violence.
The study revealed that the overall prevalence of domestic
violence in the studied group was 80.7 and 100.0% for physical and
psychological violence, respectively. On studying the reasons for physical
violence, half (50%) of the participants reported no clear cause, 19.2%
reported failure to adequately care for children (such as cleaning, feeding,
and dressing), and 7.8% reported causes related to poor scholastic achievement
and couple conflict about appropriate approaches of upbringing of children.
Suspicion on wife's fidelity was the most common form of psychological violence
(21%). The perpetrator was the husband in 76.9% of cases and the husband's
family was the perpetrator in 3.8% of cases. Physical violence was
significantly higher during the first 10 years of marriage compared with other
durations. University-educated husbands showed significantly lower percentage
of physical violence against women compared with those of other educational
levels.
Violence against women was highly prevalent in Arar city.
Inadequate care of children and poor scholastic achievement were the most
common reasons of physical violence, whereas financial conflicts and suspicion
of wife's fidelity were the most common reasons for psychological violence. We
recommend awareness programs aiming at educating current and future couples,
and proper training of healthcare providers for assisting cases experiencing
violence against women.
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By:
- 1Public Health and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag b Public Health and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt c Public Health and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine and Applied Medical Sciences, Northern Border University, Arar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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